James Bible, president of the local chapter of the NAACP, questions why he is being removed by police from a Seattle School Board meeting deciding the fate of several public schools on Thursday.

James Bible, president of the local chapter of the NAACP, questions why he is being removed by police from a Seattle School Board meeting deciding the fate of several public schools on Thursday.

Photo: Joshua Trujillo/Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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Wesley Irwin, who works with the after-school program at T.T. Minor and also attended the school, questions the Seattle School Board before he was ejected from the meeting on Thursday.

Wesley Irwin, who works with the after-school program at T.T. Minor and also attended the school, questions the Seattle School Board before he was ejected from the meeting on Thursday.

Photo: Joshua Trujillo/Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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Seattle shutters schools

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Amid angry parents, hecklers and much increased security, Seattle School Board members Thursday evening approved a slate of school closures and program relocations that will dramatically reshape the district next fall.

"This is one part of the difficult steps ahead," said Board President Michael DeBell. It's a tough decision, but it's one we have to make."

The meeting was packed, rowdy, and at times, chaotic. DeBell repeatedly asked people to quiet down, but his requests usually were met with louder outbursts from the audience.

Before the final vote, board members debated a series of amendments that would have altered the proposals.

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Bass and Martin-Morris found themselves on the lonely end of every vote, though their stances earned them wild applause from the audience.

"We do have solutions that I think could have been found with just a little more effort and time," said Bass, who was teary at the end of the meeting. "That's leadership, when you stand alone sometimes."

Board member Sherry Carr acknowledged the painful process, but said, "This is not about closing schools or not closing schools. This is about closing schools or eliminating classroom teachers."

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There was no public testimony allowed at the meeting, but the Board was heckled throughout. Toward the end of the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of the meeting, someone called out, "with liberty and justice for some." "You are patronizing us!" yelled one attendee. "I wish I had a shoe to throw," said another.

One of the most tense moments came early in the meeting, when James Bible, the president of the local chapter of the NAACP, was ejected.

Bible, who had been leaning against the back wall of the auditorium because of an injury, was kicked out after a guard told him he had to sit down or leave. Chaos ensued after he was ejected, with supporters angrily demanding to know why he was removed. "You guys should be ashamed of yourselves!" shouted one man.

Another man was ejected after approaching board members, and DeBell warned the crowd that unless people calmed down, only the media would be allowed.

Out in the lobby, Bible rallied the crowd before he was readmitted. The closures disproportionately affect students of color, he said later.

"It's apparent that we have a poor steward of our school system," he said. "(Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson) needs to find herself another position where she can be of service to people. And any School Board member that's in agreement with the superintendent, I would be concerned about their ability to help our students."

Member Peter Maier said amid boos from the crowd that he supports closures and talked about the already large maintenance backlog. "These decisions have been delayed too long."

After the vote, Jason Farbman jumped up on a table in the lobby and implored people to keep fighting. He led the crowd in a few chants.

The 30-year-old Capitol Hill resident doesn't have children, but said he was spurred to protest because "this impacts the entire community, and I care about what happens to my community."

"It's appalling what's going on. We can find the money to build a $200 million jail, but we can't find the $30 million for our children," he said.

Another protester, Amber Croyle, 27, lives near T.T. Minor Elementary, which will close at the end of the school year.

"To rush this through, it's obvious they have ulterior motives," she said. "We all have money in Seattle. This is Bill Gates' home, this is Paul Allen's home. We can find the money in Seattle."

Since Goodloe-Johnson unveiled her final recommendations Jan. 6, she's repeatedly defended her plan, saying it will help balance enrollment, expand student access to academic programs and save money for the district, which faces a $25 million budget shortfall next year.

The five school buildings she proposed closing will be shuttered at the end of this school year. They are: Genesee Hill, home to Pathfinder K-8; Mann, which houses Nova Alternative High School; T.T. Minor Elementary; Van Asselt Elementary; and "Old Hay" Elementary, which houses the Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center, or SBOC.